Monthly Archive for August, 2009

Some historians claim, but never proven to be true, that the name “sundae” was created in response to the “Blue Laws” which said that ice cream sodas could not be sold on Sundays because they were too “frilly.” For some reason the “righteous” were very much against what they called “sucking soda” (especially on the Sabbath and the clergy started preaching against them). The dish has gone by other names at various time, most notably “sundi” and “sondhi.” Some accounts have explained all these names as attempts to avoid offending the sensibilities of the devoutly religious, which might take a dim view of a pile of ice cream and syrup being named after the Sabbath.

As part of emergency planning, before coming to campus, you should discuss with your families where you will go in the event the campus needs to be evacuated, and how you will get there. Please be sure your belongings are insured through your parents’ homeowner’s policy or through a company that provides insurance for college students. You should photocopy important documents, such as birth certificates, social security cards, and passports, and keep them in a separate location from the originals.

In order to facilitate repairs and to protect you from being charged for damages or missing furniture at the end of the school year, please inspect your room when you move in at the beginning of the semester. If you find something missing or notice something wrong with an item in your room, you can report it by filling out a “Room Condition Report” at http://www.wesleyan.edu/pplant/room_condition. The form must be submitted within five (5) days after you check into your room. Your submittal will automatically generate work orders for repairs or replacements to be made, if necessary. You do not need to submit a report if your room is in satisfactory condition.

You have probably been reading about the continued potential for novel H1N1 influenza (swine flu) outbreaks in the U.S., especially in the school setting. We are continuing to monitor the situation and advise that you do also. More detailed information about H1N1 is available at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/, and http://www.ct.gov/ctfluwatch. Wesleyan has a plan which is in action and which we continue to refine in close consultation with local, state and national health officials and agencies.

Happily, H1N1 is mostly causing mild illness thus far. Our goals are to limit both the number of cases on campus and the severity of the cases we have. With that in mind, there are several important concepts we wish to communicate to students before their arrival on campus this year.

If you are sick with a flu-like illness, please delay your return to campus until you have recovered. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that individuals with influenza-like illness remain at home and away from other people until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100° F [37.8° C] or greater), or signs of a fever, without the use of fever-reducing medications. Influenza-like illness is defined as a fever plus cough and/or sore throat. Symptoms of the flu may include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people with influenza will not have fever. Absence of fever does not mean absence of infection. If in doubt, call your health care provider to discuss your symptoms. Students are encouraged to call the Davison Health Center (860) 685-2470.If you do need to delay your return, please contact your Class Dean and Davis Smith, Medical Director, Davison Health Center pdsmith@wesleyan.edu. Once you have recovered, we encourage you free to call the Davison Health Center (860) 685-2470 to speak with a Nurse and review that you are well enough to return to campus.

Discuss with your family a plan of action in the event you contract H1N1. Because self-isolation is such a key component of infection control with a pandemic, we highly encourage those able to do so to leave campus for a few days if they become develop a flu-like illness as defined above. We have contingency plans for sick students not able to leave campus.

Determine whether you are at high risk of complications from H1N1 infection. Pregnancy and other previously recognized high risk medical conditions from seasonal influenza appear to be associated with increased risk of complications from this novel H1N1. These underlying conditions include asthma, diabetes, suppressed immune systems, heart disease, kidney disease, and neurocognitive and neuromuscular disorders. Speak with your health care provider and determine whether or not you qualify as high risk of complications from H1N1 infection.

Stay informed. We are preparing detailed information about H1N1 and Wesleyan’s response to this pandemic. These will be posted to [website] in the next few days and kept updated. We plan early distribution of seasonal influenza vaccine and hope to encourage wide uptake. Once an H1N1 vaccine becomes available, we will notify students of distribution plans. We stand ready to help Wesleyan students prepare for, prevent, manage and recover from H1N1 and any other health problem that may occur while they are on campus.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation has notified Wesleyan University that road construction on Washington Street (Route 66) between Bernie O’Rourke Drive and Plaza Drive is expected to cause heavy traffic delays weekdays between 6:00 am and 2:30 pm. Work is expected to continue for the next 2 years, except during the winter. Travelers from New Haven, New York and points south and from Waterbury and points west are encouraged to find alternate routes to Wesleyan via 91 Northbound to Route 9 Southbound. Wesleyan and Middletown officials are working with State officials to install temporary highway signs rerouting traffic and in the hopes of rescheduling construction to evenings. For the latest project updates, please check the DOT web site at this link.

If you are interested in subscribing to cable television service and have not yet been in contact with AT&T, please note that a representative will be on campus to take your order on the following days. If you are going to share the service with someone with whom you will be living, only one of you needs to contact AT&T. The information to bring with you includes your social security number and the address of your campus housing, including unit number (if applicable).

Hours at the Davison Health Center have changed slightly for the new academic year. The Health Center will now close at 6:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday instead of 7:00 p.m. Saturday hours are now 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Complete hours are:

The City of Middletown Police Department has launched a new Community Information Service designed to deliver important and timely information to residents in our area using the latest technology.

This service, Nixle, delivers trustworthy and important neighborhood-level public safety and community event notifications instantly sent to you by cell phone text message, email, and web. There is NO Spam or Advertising.

Nixle is completely free (standard text message rates apply for cell phone subscribers who do not have text plans with their cell phone providers).

The service is simple to use, reliable and trusted.

Register now and learn more at www.nixle.com . Then, ask five people that you know in the community to register for the service.

Stay connected to your world, from the public safety alerts that are relevant to you, to the important neighborhood advisories you want to know about, and other valuable community information.

You decide what information you want and whether you want it sent to your cell phone, email, or just simply over the web.

Did you know that a Wesleyan education actually costs 1/3 more than what you see, and that the difference is covered by a Tuition Grant, outside of financial aid? EVERY student receives this $19,000 grant and it is made possible only by the generosity of Wesleyan alumni!

Come join the Red and Black Calling Society!

Learn valuable fundraising experience for a non-profit

Put your enthusiasm for Wes and love of people to a great use

Be part of a competitive team that will contact parents and alumni for a gift

Practice crucial communications skills

Establish resume builders as you learn our brand-new software

Help alumni establish life-long relationships with Wes

Highly sought after job on campus, with very limited positions left!

Work-Study AND Non-Work-Study applicants are eligible

Red and Black Callers have potentially the highest paid job on campus, including a huge variety of bonuses/incentives/commission! They also get to meet many VIPs and get invited to special events on and off campus.

Keep an eye out for the next all-campus email and posters the first week of classes. You will be required to attend one 45-minute information session.
Date and time TBD.

Resumes and cover letters are not required but are very helpful as we will have many applicants. No expertise is necessary, but good oral communication is critical.

The August 15 deadline is fast approaching to comply with the student health insurance requirement. All students must annually show proof of insurance (waive) or purchase the university-sponsored plan ($786) by going to http://www.gallagherkoster.com/.

You should have received the information below which was mailed directly to your home address in June. Please follow the instructions for accessing the web database by the August 15 deadline. Thank you.

First time users are required to create a unique User Account. To do this you will need to enter your first and last name, Wes student ID, date of birth and email address

Click on “Log In” to create or access an account on this website

Once logged in, click “Student Waive/Enroll Forms” on the left hand side of the page and select either the 2009-2010 Wesleyan University Undergraduate Annual Enrollment Form to enroll or Waiver Form to show proof of existing insurance

If waiving the student insurance, you will need your other health insurance information in order to submit the Online Waiver Form